Tales of a Loved One
by Dawn725
Summary: One shot mainly about Valka and Gobber having a talk around the winter holidays; her first one back on Berk. It has some spoilers from the second movie and the short "Gift of a Night fury." I don't want to give too much away so read if you want too.
1. Part 1

The winter months on Berk were just like the ones that Valka remembered. Blistering cold, high winds, and below freezing temperatures. The only good thing was the winter holidays. Oh, how she had missed them. Just being around those you loved was enough for her. For the twenty years that she was gone from Berk, it got pretty lonely with no people to talk to. Sure she had her dragons, but it still wasn't the same. She did miss her family and her friends, but she couldn't go back.

At least back then, she felt she couldn't. The villagers couldn't change her and she couldn't change them. Stoick couldn't change her and she couldn't change him.

The endless fighting would have taken its toll on her eventually. Oh, how she hated it. All the blood shed and loss. It was pointless. She had known there could be peace and back then, she was proven right.

The other reason she didn't return was that she had feared for her dragon, Cloudjumper. If she returned and they didn't wait to listen to her; she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if Cloudjumper was hurt or killed. She knew Cloudjumper wouldn't have left her there alone. Within a short time, they had developed a strong bond.

Shaking her head to stop thinking of the past, she quickly got back to work helping out Gobber. He was busy today building saddles. He had more orders for saddles than usual thanks to the holidays coming up. She was helping by looking after the dragons that needed a tooth checkup. She was a natural when it came to dragons. Gobber didn't have to train her much before she got the hang of it.

She guessed Hiccup got his dragon talent from her. They were more alike than she had first thought. When he was born, she thought for sure he would take after his dad. He was such the little fighter back then. (She guessed he still was in a way.) She thought for sure he would take after his father when she was no longer in the picture. The great Stoick raising his son to be a dragon killer just like himself. It still broke her heart thinking of that.

Boy was she surprised when she met Hiccup the first time in twenty years. The way he could control the dragons and had no fear when it came to the dragons. The fact that he was riding a dragon and had him as a pet surprised her. That was even before she found out he was her son. She thought she was the only Viking to ride a dragon or even care for them. He cared for Toothless just as much as she cared for Cloudjumper, if not even more. She believed he would die so his dragon could live and vice-versa.

She shook her head again to get focused back onto her work.

"You ok, Valka?" asked Gobber looking over at her worriedly.

"Yes, why would you ask me that?" asked Valka refusing to look at Gobber and trying to concentrate on her work.

"Oh, I don't know maybe just maybe it is the fact that you keep shaking your head." Stated Gobber waving his hammer around like an idiot.

"This is not the time to talk, it is the time to work." Said an annoyed Valka.

"Maybe I will tell you what is wrong later. But there is work to be done now" She whispered underneath her breath, hoping that he didn't hear.

"OK then, I will ask you later." Said Gobber with a grin before going back singing a Viking song.

She mentally kicked herself for saying that. She didn't even know why she said it; it just came out so fast that she didn't even think about it before saying it.

Later came too soon in her opinion. Gobber sat next to her in the great hall with some ale in his cup hand and another glass in the other. He handed the other one over to her and said "Its later. What has been bugging you so much, Valka? And don't say nothing is cause we both know that is bullshit. You have been like this for the last few days, not just today. Now spill."

"I don't know were to begin." She whispered.

"Well, if it was me I would start in the beginning. What started all your, you know?" said Gobber gesturing to all of her.

"Unpleasant thoughts?" she offered.

"Yea, those." Stated Gobber taking a chug of ale while he waited for her to continue.

"Your thoughts are about Stoick and Hiccup, right?" pushed Gobber when she didn't say anything.

"I guess those unpleasant thoughts started a week ago. I keep thinking of the past and what could've been. How I missed so much and still do." She said trailing off at the end.

"Go on. I know you have more to say, Valka." Said Gobber.

Glaring at him before she continued, "some days I wonder why I never came back. Others I wish I did. I miss him so much, you know. I really did love him. I just thought they, he, would be better off without me. I feel guilty that I wasn't here to enjoy…" Valka stopped talking after this. She didn't know what to say next and the pain in her heart was getting worse.

Lucky for her, Gobber knew what to say.

"Now Valka, there is no reason to feel guilty or to look in the past for that matter. Sure, abandoning your family was 'wrong' or something along those lines; but you believed it was for the best. You blamed yourself for Hiccup, and Stoick, almost getting killed. You couldn't kill a dragon. Why would you go back if you couldn't kill? You would've been hurt or killed yourself; or worse, gotten Hiccup or Stoick hurt or killed. I understand why you stayed away. I also know the other reason." Said Gobber taking another chug of ale.

Valka gave him a questioning look before he continued, "The other reason was because you were scared. Scared of being rejected, or outcast. Scared that you would have to lose the ones you loved because you couldn't fight. But I know for a fact and not to make you feel worse, Stoick would have accepted you no matter what. He would have turned the world inside out looking for you if he knew you were still alive. He loved you with all his heart and still does. You wouldn't have scared him off."

"Now to tell you something I told Stoick long ago. What do you do when a love one can't be here for the holidays? We celebrate them and I imagine that is what Stoick would want you to do. Stoick missed you the years you were gone, but he still celebrated the holidays anyway. He would want you to be happy." Gobber said with that Gobber smile of his.

They sat in silence until Gobber had gotten the courage to talk again.

"I know you miss him, but you are not the only one who does. I bet Hiccup misses him more than you do. No offence, but he was his father and he was the only family he had until you came back. Hiccup never had a great childhood, being the chief's son is hard. He never got to know his mother. Stoick hurt too much to tell him stories of you or even of himself growing up. That last part was because it reminded him of you. I bet Hiccup would love to hear stories of you and Stoick growing up." Gobber said while getting up to get more ale.

"How about you go visit your son and make up all the time you missed. I would bet on Thor's hammer that he would like that." Gobber said before walking away.

Valka sat there thinking after Gobber left. Maybe I should go over and visit Hiccup she thought. It may help after all and I may help him as well.

With those thoughts, she got up and left the Great Hall headed for Hiccup's house. Being the chief, he sometimes worked late and was rarely home. She was thinking of things to say to him, worried she would be bothering him or mess up some how. When she walked up to the house; the light was on so that was a good sign he was there.

Walking up to the door, she paused for a second trying to compose herself. Knocking, she heard a voice saying coming before the door opened up to see Hiccup standing there smiling at her. She knew then that she did the right thing for once.

**Author's note**

**I came up with this one shot when I was watching the second How to Train Your Dragon. I may add on to this, like make it a two, or maybe even three parts. But that would only happen if I come up with something to write about or if enough people want me to continue. I for the live of me can't spell out the holiday, Snoggeltog or something like that. That's why I didn't use it and called it winter holidays. I hope I got the characters close to the movie characters. I don't think I got Gobber right. I apologize if I didn't do a good job. I hope you enjoyed this!**


	2. Part 2

Part 2

"Well, hello mother! What brings you here on this fine evening?" asked Hiccup letting her in.

"Oh, can't a mother come a visit her only son?" she joked.

"Uh yeah she can. Have a seat anywhere you like. Sorry about the mess. I have been so busy with the village with Snoggeltog coming up." Apologized Hiccup while he tried to clean up the mess.

"Don't worry about the mess, I understand. Now come seat. You must be exhausted." Valka told him pointing to a chair.

"You have no idea how tired I am." Replied Hiccup collapsing into the chair.

"I have a busy enough day without having to worry about possibly ruining the holiday." Said Hiccup going on to explain his crazy day.

Valka was able to then look at him from the glow of the fire. His hair was more of a mess that usual. A few more burn marks on his clothes along with a few scratch marks on his face and neck. His left thumb had a bruise. Big bangs were under his eyes, but alias that wasn't' the worst of it. They had a red glow about them like he had been crying before she came. Some dried tearstains were on the side of his face. She could tell he had tried to hide it from her, but a mother can always tell.

After he was done telling her of his day, she asked, "how have you been doing? Besides the crazy days and what not."

"What do you mean by that? I have been good besides the fact the holidays and wedding planning make my days harder." He said defensively.

"How are you holding up? Holding up without your father around?" she asked gently.

"Oh, that." he said with a coughed to clear his throat.

Looking everywhere but her, he replied, "Well, I been good. Holding up nicely. Just good."

Valka looked at him not believing a word he said. This was the first Snoggletog he spent without his father. She knew he was hurting. She only wished she knew exactly how to help him; Maybe coming here was a mistake. Gobber would be better at this then she was. He knew Hiccup better than she did. Even Astrid, Hiccup's fiancée, would be better than her. But she was going to try. If she messed up, those two can help her fix this mistake.

"I know you are lying to me. It's ok that you did. It hurts too much to admit it. I should know. I lived quite a few Snoggletog's without you or your father. The pain becomes more bearable as time goes by, but it never leaves you. It just hurts less till it barely hurts. You never forget your loved ones, but new loves come along and those help with your pain. Now, there is a story I have been meaning to ask you about. What is the full story behind Toothless and your missing leg?" Valka asked while giving Hiccup a gentle smile.

"Yea, that's kind of a funny story." Said Hiccup nervously.

"I am all ears and afterwards, I will tell you a story or two." Said Valka.

"Ok, then. It started five years ago. This was before there was peace between the dragons and us. One early morning, during a dragon raid, I sneaked away to make myself popular, to fit in. I made a contraption that would shoot down a Night fury. It worked, but no one believed me. So, I went into the forest and tracked down the dragon. I was about to kill it when it looked at me. I looked into its eyes and saw myself. He was as scared as I was." Hiccup paused glancing over to me.

I smiled at him in understanding before he continued.

"I used the knife and cut him free instead. He roared at me and flew away. When I went home later, dad told me I had dragon training the next day. He wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell him I couldn't kill a dragon. You know how he was. Anyway, the following day I was almost killed by Meatlug. Gobber saved me and told me a dragon always go for the kill. It got me wondering about the Night fury. Why didn't it kill me? So, I went looking for it. I was just about to give up when I found him in a glade. I became more and more interested in him. Soon I gained his trust and realized he couldn't fly away because of his tail. I went to work on building him a new tail and we worked on flying together. I learned so much from him; I used all of the tricks I learned from him in the arena. I started getting more and more popular as the days went on. Dad was on a quest to find the dragon's nest and had left the day I started training. He was so proud when he came back. Then I was chosen to kill Hookfang. My plans to show them dragons were not as they seemed failed. Failed horribly. Toothless somehow got out of the glade and saved me, but at a cost. He was caught and put with the other dragons."

He paused to finish gathering his thoughts.

"We got in a fight afterwards. He was so mad at me. I have never seen him so angry before that day. In our fight, I accidently told him about the nest. You see Astrid caught Toothless and me the night before. In order to change her mind, we went flying on Toothless. It worked, but we flew too close to the nest and were taken in. We saw the queen who was named Red Death before escaping. I told him only a dragon could find the island. I tried to tell him of the danger, but he wouldn't listen. He told me before he left since I side with the dragons I wasn't his son. He left soon after with almost the whole village. Astrid talked to me and I came up with an insane plan. I used want I learned from Toothless and helped the other dragon riders tame their dragons. We flew out there and made it just in time. I tried to save Toothless while the others fought Red Death. I nearly drowned, but that is when dad came back. He pulled me to shore before diving back in for Toothless. He told me before I left to fight Red Death that he was proud to call me his son. The rest is a blur. All I remember after that it a tail knocking me off of Toothless into Red Death's explosive death. I remember waking up on Berk with Toothless in the house. I was so worried about dad and Toothless breaking things that I didn't realize I had no left leg."

He smiled then and said, "Toothless helped me get my balance and I walked outside to see dragons and Vikings at peace with each other. I was so happy. Now, I believe it is your turn."

"Well, indeed it is. Where should I start?" asked Valka.

"Oh, yea. I think I will tell you…."

To be continued...

(Just kidding)

"Oh yea. I think I will tell you about the time your father asked me to marry him." Said Valka "Unless you don't want to hear this story."

"I would very much like to hear this story." Replied Hiccup moving closer to hear her better.

"You hopefully already know that me and your father grew up together. Anyway, I was not romantically interested in him for the longest time. He told me later on when we got married that he had always loved me. But it was different for me. I thought he had a bad temper, smelled, big, tough, and fearless. I had no love interests thou and I didn't plan on marrying anytime soon. I wanted to see the world. He still pursued me romantically. He gave me flowers and axes. Even killed a few dragons for my love. You can probably see how that one turned out. Then one day, I was climbing up a steep peak and lost my footing. I wanted to see the island the way dragons and birds got to. Anyway, unknown to me; your father followed me. It was a good thing he did because he caught me before I hit the ground. He fussed so much over me I realized then that I was just being stubborn. I had fallen in love with him long ago and it took this moment for me to realize it. I told him to shut up and after he did I told him I would go out with him. I made him the happiest man alive that day." Valka paused to look back on memories then.

She then continued her story when Hiccup gave a cough.

"A few months later, your father had this date planed out. It was a surprise so I had no clue about it. He had spent the last few days before hiking around the island, trying to find the perfect spot. He set up the picnic before hand. Gobber watched over the spot so nothing could ruin it before we got there. He put a blindfold on me and guided me through the forest to the picnic spot. Boy was I a nervous wreck before we got there. When he finally took the blindfold off, I saw Berk in a new light. The ocean went as far as I could see and the island was breath taking. Of course, flying on the back of a dragon and seeing the island is breath taking. But this was something special. I then turned around to see your father on his knee. He asked in a stutter for my hand in marriage. I said yes. We celebrated with that song we danced to in the cave. We also danced to that song on our wedding day." Valka said with a few tears in her eyes.

"That was a wonderful story, mom." Said Hiccup.

"Would you like to hear some more?" asked Valka.

"I would love that," said Hiccup with a huge smile on his face.

"Alright then, how about the one…" started Valka.

This is how Astrid and Toothless found the two. Telling stories of past adventures. (Astrid was helping Hiccup by flying Toothless that night since he was so busy and didn't know when he could go flying that night.) Astrid didn't stay long, just long enough to let Toothless inside. She knew that the son and mother needed this alone time. They didn't even realize she was there.

Before Valka left that evening Hiccup had to ask her why she came.

"Well, I have been missing your father lately and Gobber sensed it. He told me what I needed was to come visit you. It worked. I don't feel so bad anymore." Said Valka.

"Me too. I am glad you came. I am happy you stayed. But what I am most thankful for is that you are my mom. Now I get a chance to get to know you and for you to get to know me. I love you mom." Said Hiccup giving her a hug.

"I am so happy to hear you say that. And I love you too, son." Said Valka.

"See you tomorrow for Snoggletog." Said Hiccup "And don't be a stranger around here. You are my mom after all."

"Thank-you. See you tomorrow. Good-bye Toothless." Said Valka waving before walking back to the village.

'I will have to thank Goober when I see him next. He knew the right thing for us.' She thought walking into her house and saying goodnight to Cloudjumper.

'I am so glad I listened to him.'

**Author's Note**

**It is done! I was planning on making it three parts, but I couldn't make the third part long enough. It wasn't even 800 words.**

** Anyway, I am done with this story unless I think of other things. Hope it wasn't too boring. I didn't plan this part. Sort of just happened. **

**If you have any suggestions review. I may write it if I think I can make it work. Thanks for the reviews I got. Thanks for the follows and likes as well. It made me so happy that you got this part. Thanks for reading!**


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